Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-03-24
The WAFER coLo.s.
Why American Artists Achieve EHceIlene
Results by Its Csc.

One Of the first distinctions to bcxr in
mind in the water color is that OF Me
transparency of colors. In general. 1t
may be said that opaqu. colors arc
those which reflect the light from the
surface of color itself; that is. they arc
so solid that the light can not penetrate
them. Transparent colors are, as their
name implies. diaphanous. When
spread in thin film, whether in wster
co!ors or in oils. upon white surface.
! this white surface acts as a reflector.
! and it throws back the light to the eye
far more deeply saturated with color
than it could be had it been unable to
penetrate the surface of the film.
In this very simple division of colors
into transparent and Opaque we have
the very essence of all painting. Purity
of color. luminosity. strength of color.
and all the laws of light and shade are
dependent upon it. No human effort
can obtain out of an Opaque color the
| same effect that a transparent color OF
exactly the same shade and intensity
would give. The Opaque color is
dead. The rays that are reflected
on its surface seem capable of alb
sorbing from it only thin, vapid.
and unsat sfactory hue. The ray that
penetrates the transparent color is
meanwhile saturated by the penetra-
ton it has made below the surface and
becomes surcharged with it. The dis
tinction between the two kinds OF color
is the secret of the rich effects obtained
by the old masters. and it is the very
essence of the modern water colors.
In recognizing the supremacy of the
American water color over oil painting.
we do homage to the art of the old
masters. who were able to carry this
distinction into the realm of oil paint
ing, an art which seems to have been
lost. The Transparent water color Of
to-day is the nearest approach to the
art of the renaissance that we know.
The use Of opaque colors throughout a
painting destroys its value and places
the water color on par with scene
painting. For this reason it has been
generally decried. There is but one
time when the use of Opaque color is
permissible, and this is in the strongest
lights of the picture. The moment it
touches any thing else it destroys its
purity and makes mud of it.
In oil painting the distinction be-
tween the Opaque and transparent is so
difficult to keep that the art of oil paint
ing to-day is, as rule, an exhibition Of
mud from beginning to end. 1t is oc-
casionally redeemed by some painter of
greater acuteness than his comrades,
but even then it is only at the sacrifice
of other valuable and essential ele-
ments. In water colors different rules
govern the use of pigment, and the pit
falls are not so numerous. In oils wc
can only represent light with white.
and it is the most Opaque of all colors.
In water color it is represented by the
paper on which we work, therefore no
white need be used. Every other nee
essary color in water colors may be
looked upon as transparent. Some of
them. like the lakes, have a liquidity
which makes them extremely diaphan-
Gus; others, like the s:ennas, vcrmillion
or yellow ochre are less lucid. and
when largely used become Opaque.
1t will be seen from this that an en-
tire painting can be easily executed in
transparent color alone, and such is
the general practice. If we examine
one of our water-color exhibitions care
fully. we shall see that almost every
painter proceeds upon the assumption
that his white paper will be his substi-
tuee for white paint. He glazes his
colors upon this. thinning them with
water; the paper reflects the light
through them, and the result is rich
ness aad purity, freshness which we
see nowhere in any corresponding ex-
hibition of work in OIL.
The water color, nevertheless, has
its limitations, and the greatest of
these pr 'ceeds from inability to inter-
pref light and shade satisfactorily.
Applied as the color is in thin washes.
when it dries it becomes lighter and
reflects a CERTAIN amount Of light from
its surface which seems to interfere
with the light which comes from the
underground. If only the colors kept
the intensity with which they were
first applied, the result would be differ
ent. but they do not. The air deadens
them when it dries them. If we put
coating of gum over them. thus sepa-
rating them from the air, they intensi-
fly At once, but this practice is neither
4 wieldy Or common one and the water
color suffers from ineXactitude in con-
sequence. Another limitation is to be
found in the treatment of deep shad-
ows. where intensity of dark colors is
apparently unattainable. After GER
tain point all transparent colors
in water color become opaque. They
do opposes the strength of oils. Their
particles are SO closely knit that when
the water evaporates. the film, which
was before deep and rich. now refuses
IN, laf tho Enht naS, fhrouDL q IT,